My inner nerd

That’s 365 long days he had to wait and 365 days we had to hear all about the fabulous wares, the exciting games and the general grandness of it all. Oh and the joy of being of the first to play with the new (not yet launched) xbox and Play Station

Saturday came and went and now it’s all over … and the countdown begins once more. Luckily for him, by the time you read this, on Thursday, his wait will have diminished from 365 sleeps to a mere 360 … well maybe not mere.

So, with the wait finally over, he donned his super nerd gear and with the help of his friends (he forgot to get a driver’s licence somewhere along the way) off he went, bouncing in the car like a little girl about to enjoy her first Hello Kitty experience.

I am told there was sleep lost the excitement was so great. But that’s hearsay and perhaps a little exaggeration from his boyfriend who is prone to exaggeration and the belief that he is the Khaleesi of the East. For the record we’ve cleared that little misunderstanding up and divided the territories between the Khaleesis (him and me) – my territory of course stretching far wider and wilder. But that’s a story for another day.

Back at rAge I soldiered forth, a virgin into uncharted nerdiness, and discovered a number of very exciting (and some rather disturbing) things.

So here are some of the better discoveries I made as I pushed my way through the throng of gamers, many dressed in their favourite get ups:

There are a lot of nerds running around town. If felt like I had been sandwiched between a million people all staring in awe at the vast array of what my mate aptly termed nerd porn. Apparently there was something there to turn every gamer on.

Gaming really can be quite consuming – there were gamers camped out in a little fenced off area all set for a hard weekend ahead with every conceivable necessity including camper beds, head phones and fluffy hats. For those of us who were engaged in the virtual action, it was a little like watching zoo animals in their cages doing what comes naturally. One or two were sleeping on their cots, but for the most part they all looked quite determined to whatever it was they were doing, to whomever they were doing it – virtually of course.

There was even a sign asking people not to feed the gamers. Which made me wonder what logistical planning went into packing their cooler boxes with the appropriate number of 2l cokes, bags of Simba chips and other vital snacks to sustain them for the long weekend ahead.

Outside the gaming area, in the packed Dome, there was a cornucopia of costumes – most of which meant nothing to me but they were all very exciting to my mate, who lamented (frequently) his oversight in failing to plan and procure a suitable ensemble.

Fashionistas may proclaim they suffer for their art but they don’t know what true commitment is. When last did you see a stick thin model darting around a packed venue carrying a hefty hammer or horse’s head all day, just because it’s part of the costume? They know nothing about true work and the weight of fashion.

I must admit that having been less that side-splittingly excited about the day, I had an amazing amount of fun, enjoying not only the amazing sights and interesting conversations, but becoming quite engrossed in the merchandise as well.

I was particularly happy with my Betty Boop bobble head (she’s for my desk and I envisage her head getting many a poke). I feared she may be lonely so I bought her a mate – Goth Witch and together they will … bobble, bob, be bobbed? Shake their heads!

Exclusive books has long been a beacon in the dark night for bibliophile like the two Khaleesis. The store, however, was jammed with role play board games. Bored by the thought I shoved my way towards the exit only to come face to face with Lord of the Rings Risk. A sucker for all things LOTR I melted in a pool of drool to find one of my all time fav games coupled with my favourite literature. While I stared lustily at the game, I felt a tug on my arm from my mate who, seeing no computer games in sight, was desperate to leave this particular store. The tug, however, spun me around and my eye beheld the greatest discovery of the day (insert evil laugh often practiced by another friend) MUNCHKIN. Sounds innocent, doesn’t it? Well what elicited the evil laugh was the strap which reads “Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run.” Now there’s a game I could get really into!

It was an absolutely amazing day, but when all is said and done, you’ve read this far in the hopes that I will reveal the disturbing lesson learnt so, not to tease you and leave you dangling, here it is….

I’ve always suspected there’s a little nerd in all of us. But judging by how exciting I found the whole experience, my inner nerd is a little more prominent, and active, than I would ever dare admit in public – so let’s just keep that our little secret.